Malacañang said there is a need to consider establishing a commission to investigate killings linked to the anti-illegal drugs campaign under former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez made the remark following the Supreme Court’s decision affirming the conviction of three police officers over the 2017 killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos.
“We still need to review the Supreme Court decision. But this development underscores the need to consider the proposal from the church, civil society, and some members of Congress for an independent truth commission to probe more deeply into these extrajudicial killings,” Gomez said.
Earlier, House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima renewed her call for the creation of a truth commission to investigate drug war deaths during the Duterte administration.
“We expect nothing less than the affirmation of the conviction of the three police officers involved in the brutal killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos. And beyond these low-level perpetrators, we continue to seek accountability from those with higher or highest responsibility for the carnage executed under the murderous War on Drugs, including its enablers,” de Lima said in a statement.
She reiterated calls for the swift passage of the Truth Commission on Extrajudicial Killings Act and the Anti-EJK Act, saying these measures are necessary to achieve justice, promote national healing, and prevent similar abuses in the future.
Duterte has been detained at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague, Netherlands, since March 13 following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity related to thousands of drug war and Davao Death Squad killings.
His camp has sought interim release, but the ICC has denied the request, citing the necessity of his continued detention.
